Being shocked with cold water during a shower is something that most people have experienced at least once. But there’s a way to ensure that it never happens to you again. With a tankless water heater, you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water.
How does a tankless water heater work?
You don’t need a full tank of hot water prepared in order to have hot water when you want it. In fact, the tankless water heater guarantees you hot water whenever you choose, something that the storage tank water heater can’t guarantee. In a tankless water heater, cold water moves through the heating unit and is heated up on its way to you. Tankless water heaters can run on gas or electricity.
Pros of a tankless water heater
Space saving
Water heater tanks are pretty large, and if you don’t have a ton of storage area in your home, then the tank will take up valuable real estate. The tankless water heater takes up a fraction of the space, giving you more room in your home.
Hot water on demand
In a water heater with a tank, you can run out of hot water. This is because it heats the water in the tank, and if you use enough of that water, then the water that refills the tank doesn’t have enough time to heat up again. But the tankless water heater heats up water as you use it, so it’s always delivering hot water.
Energy efficiency
Because the tankless water heater doesn’t have to heat up a full tank of water at a time, it’s much more energy efficient. If you’ve set a pot of water on the stove to boil, you know how much longer a large pot takes than a smaller one. In that time difference, a lot of extra energy is used. At 41 gallons of water usage per day, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates tankless water heaters to be between 24-34% more energy efficient than a storage-tank water heater.
Less energy used equals less money spent
This is one of the main draws of a tankless water heater. Since it used as much as a third less energy to heat the water, it’s going to cost you much less per month. Eventually, the tankless water heater will pay for itself.
Cons of a tankless water heater
Higher initial investment
Tankless water heaters cost more to buy and install than a storage-tank water heater, so you will spend more on the initial investment. But as you save money in energy costs, this difference will disappear.
Needs electricity
Even a gas-powered tankless water heater needs electricity to run. So, if the power goes out, then you will not have access to hot water. However, this problem can be solved with a backup generator, which will provide enough power for hot water and some other necessities.
Limited water output
Since there isn’t a full tank of hot water waiting, the tankless water heater has limited hot water output. This means that if you’re using multiple appliances that require a lot of hot water at once, like your shower, the dishwasher, and the washing machine, you may not have enough hot water for all of them. But this can be solved by staggering the use of each one.
Tankless water heater sales and installation | Bison Plumbing
If you’re interested in having hot water on demand, and saving energy while you’re at it, then Bison Plumbing can help you. Our experts can recommend the best model of tankless water heater for your needs and budget, and we can install it for you too. We’ll make sure that it’s set up properly and educate you on any maintenance needs it has so you can get the full value and useful life out of your new tankless water heater.
To learn more, send us an online contact form or give us a call at (586) 754-4281 today!
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